14 MARYLAND MANUAL.
CHARTER OF MARYLAND.
CHARLES,* by the grace of GOD, of England, Scotland,
France, and Ireland, KING, Defender of the Faith, &c. To
ALL to whom these presents shall come, GREETING.
II. Whereas our beloved and right trusty subject, CECILIUS,
CALVERT, Baron of BALTIMORE, in our kingdom of Ireland,
son and heir of GEORGE CALVERT, knight, late baron of
BALTIMORE, in our said kingdom of Ireland, treading in the
steps of his father, being animated with a laudable and pious
zeal for extending the Christian religion, and also the terri-
tories of our empire, hath humbly besought leave of us, that
he may transport, by his own industry, and expense, a
numerous colony of the English nation, to a certain region,
herein after described, in a country higherto uncultivated, in
the parts of America, and partly occupied by savages, having
no knowledge of the Divine Being, and that all that region,
with some certain privileges, and jurisdictions, appertaining
unto the wholesome government, and state of his colony and
region aforesaid, may by our royal highness be given,
granted, and confirmed unto him, and his heirs.
III. KNOW YE therefore, that WE, encouraging with our
royal favour, the pious and noble purpose of the aforesaid
barons of BALTIMORE, of our special grace, certain knowledge,
and mere motion, have GIVEN, GRANTED, and CONFIRMED,
and by this our present CHARTER, for us, our heirs, and
successors, do GIVE, GRANT and CONFIRM, unto the afore-
said CECILIUS, now baron of BALTIMORE, his heirs and
assigns, all that part of the Peninsula, or Chersonese lying
in the parts of America, between the ocean on the east,
and the bay of Chesapeake on the west; divided from the
residue thereof by a right line drawn from the promotory, or
head-land, called Watkin's Point, situate upon the bay afore-
said, near the river Wighco, on the west unto the main
ocean on the east; and between that boundary on the south,
unto that part of the bay of Delaware on the north, which
lieth under the fortieth degree of north latitude from the
sequinoctial, where New England is terminated; and all the
tract of that land within the metes underwritten, (that is to
say,) passing from the said bay, called Delaware bay, in a
*Charles the first, of England.
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